Christmas Surprises
by krasinskisaurus
Summary: Clark invites Lois to help with his last minute Christmas decorating and the pair discover a few surprises they were not expecting. Slightly AU and set in Season 8 before Bride.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Smallville, you stuck here too?"

Clark Kent quickly looked up his computer screen and sure enough, he saw Lois Lane walking towards their shared desk at the Daily Planet. Trying and failing to suppress the new-found butterflies that always appeared when a certain army brat's perfect figure came into view, he cleared his throat slightly and smiled at her.

"Ye – yeah, just finishing up this story. What about you?" Clark said hesitantly.

"Oh you know me, one story is never enough. So naturally I've got about four unfinished pieces that Randall wants before the end of the day. And he didn't seem overly impressed when I said I had a fifth article about a reincarnated Scrooge working at the Daily Planet..."

Clark let Lois ramble on in her usual fashion, paying no real attention to her words but instead allowing his eyes to lazily follow her as she paced back and forth beside their desk. If being in her presence every day was meant to make him accustomed to her beauty, it had completely failed. He was transfixed by every inch of her; from the hazel eyes brimming with energy to the absent-minded way she would lightly chew her bottom lip. _And to think she used to annoy me. _

"Earth to Clark?"

Clark's train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as he became increasingly more aware of Lois' hand waving in front of his face.

"Sorry, my head's not with it. What were you saying?" Clark said, adjusting his tie in an effort to compose himself.

Lois gave him a highly amused look. "Wow, you're especially weird today. I just asked whether you had any festive plans tonight?"

"Um I guess I'll be putting up my decorations...alone," Clark said rather sheepishly.

"Clark, it's Christmas Eve! Leaving a bit late aren't you? Or are you full of the Bah Humbugs this year?"

"I've just been a bit busy – what with...work and the farm and everything."

"Busy? Smallville, you're a farmer not Santa Claus. Sure you haven't been holding out for a certain someone to come back and help?"

Clark looked up at Lois, trying to discern her guarded expression. _Did she mean Lana? Or just my mom._

"Erm – no. Mom's already rung and she's held up in Washington."

"Oh." It only lasted a millisecond, but Clark noticed a flicker of disappointment appear in Lois' eyes and she began packing up her things as if to leave. _She definitely meant Lana_. Clark wanted to tell her that it didn't matter whether Lana came back or not; that for the first time, he knew they weren't meant to be together. That instead, the brunette in front of him was introducing him to feelings he'd never experienced before. But seeing as it was Lois, it would no doubt lead to a round of 20 questions and Clark wasn't quite sure he wanted to risk inadvertently blurting out that he was falling in love with her. But one thing he was sure of was that he didn't want to say goodbye to Lois just yet.

"Hey, Lois," he called out, as she made a move to turn around. "I was wondering – if you're not too busy that is – if you wanted to help me out with the decorations? I just thought, what with Jimmy and Chloe away for Christmas, that you might want some company... Come to think of it, you've probably got much more exciting things to be doing on Christmas Eve so you can totally ignore what I just –"

"Woah hold it, Smallville!" said Lois, and she let out a laugh. "I'm the one who's meant to run the verbal marathons, remember? If you had let me get a word in edgeways, I would have told you that I think it's a lovely idea," Lois said happily, giving Clark a wide smile that made his throat run very, _very_ dry.

"That's great," he beamed back at her.

"I'd better go back to the Talon to try and finish all this work else I won't live to see Christmas! I'll meet you at the base at 1900 hours, soldier," and with a wink, Lois turned on her heels and practically danced out of the basement. She had been gone barely a second before Clark let his head hit the desk in exasperation, leading to a much louder crash than he'd anticipated. _That's it Clark, just invite her to your house...on Christmas Eve...alone. That'll __**totally**__ make your feelings easier to ignore._


	2. Chapter 2

As she approached the Kent Farm, Lois took a deep sigh. _It's just Smallville. It's just the bumbling farmboy you've known for years...The six foot three, gorgeous, bumbling farmboy who you've fallen in love with; but that's irrelevant. _Her car ground to a swift halt outside the house that had become a second home to her in the four short years she had spent in Smallville and Lois turned off the engine. _Nothing's going to happen, Lois. You'll throw some tinsel all over the place, make a few bantering remarks and be back at the Talon with a large tub of ice cream and It's A Wonderful Life before you know it. _

She got out of the car and leisurely walked up to the Kent porch, before exhaling deeply and knocking three times on the door. Lois was taken aback as the door flew open less than a second after she had touched the wood, to reveal Clark wearing his trademark blue t-shirt that clung tightly to his muscular chest. _Oh sweet Jesus. This is going to be harder than I thought. _

"Woah there, Speedy. Were you standing by the door waiting for me?" she said in a mock sweet voice.

Clark let out a laugh. "Naturally. My life does revolve around Lois Lane."

"Well in that case why am I still outside freezing my butt off?"

Chuckling again, Clark stepped aside and gestured for her to come inside. "May I take your coat, Miss Lane?"

_Great. I've barely set foot in the door and he's already being adorable, _Lois inwardly groaned. She smiled at him as he gently took off her coat and hung it on the coat-rack, shivering as his hand made the slightest contact with her skin.

"I see you've already made a start," Lois said, as she scanned the living room in amusement. Numerous pieces of tinsel were strewn across the floor and in the corner of the room sat the most pitiful looking Christmas tree Lois had ever seen. Many of its lopsided branches were bare of leaves and it looked as though it was on the verge of falling over, but somehow it had a very endearing quality about it.

"I like the tree," Lois managed to let out between her suppressed laughter and Clark raised his eyebrows in a manner that plainly said 'you and I both know it's awful.'

"It's the only one they had left at such late notice."

"No, no, really. I like it. It's very Clark Kent."

"Bald and wonky?"

Lois let out a light giggle. _Get a grip, since when do I giggle? _"No. Clumsy...but cute."

At this, Clark's eyes softened dramatically and he proceeded to stare so intently at her that Lois felt her face burn. _Just say what's on your mind, Lois. Go ahead and tell him you love him whilst you're at it. _

"Anyway! Let's see if I can bring a bit of festive cheer to the house that Christmas forgot."

Lois contented herself with rooting through the large decorations box sitting in the middle of the room, in order to hide her now scarlet complexion. She soon found a large holly wreath at the bottom of the pile and handed it to Clark.

"At least Mrs K was prepared. You go and put this on the door and I'll get to work on our little invalid Christmas tree."

Clark smiled wryly at her and went back into the hallway. Gathering up the tools that any human being would need to fix a wreath to the door and making sure Lois was out of earshot, Clark exhaled loudly. _This is going to be tougher than I thought. _

After he had fixed the wreath to the front door and re-entered the room, Clark was met with a scene that made his stomach do back flips. Lois, who had a Santa hat precariously perched on her head, was delicately draping blue Christmas lights across the tree; which had been significantly improved in the five minutes he had been absent from the room. He cleared his throat and she turned to face him, with a bright glow in her cheeks.

"Look what I found! If this doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will," she said, positively beaming at him.

Lois was waving a spare Santa hat in her hand and gesturing towards her. Giving her an exasperated smile, Clark took the hat and reluctantly pulled it onto his head. Lois couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as the white fur from the hat hung tentatively above Clark's deep green eyes. _Damn, this boy looks good in a hat._

"Feeling Christmassy yet?" she choked out eventually.

"Ho ho...ho?" Clark said in a monotone, before giving her a lopsided grin.

She let out a laugh and punched his arm lightly, before busying herself with the tinsel on the tree.

"Anything I can help with?" Clark asked.

"I thought I spotted some holly and ivy in that Mary Poppins box of decorations. You could put some of that up if you like."

Neglecting to tell her that he wasn't totally sure what holly _or_ ivy looked like, Clark rustled through the box and eventually pulled out a rather squashed bunch of leaves.

"Is this it?"

Lois turned away from the tree to look at the plant Clark was holding up, and sighed.

"That's mistletoe, Smallville. Please _tell _me you know what that's for."

At this, Clark flushed a slight pinkish colour and tried very hard not to look Lois in the eye. "Yeah...well you, erm, kiss under it. Well not just you, everyone and –"

As Clark trailed off, Lois was suddenly finding it somewhat harder to breathe. Whether it was merely the fact that they were talking about the function of mistletoe or that it had made Clark embarrassed, Lois didn't know; but it had undoubtedly made her even more flustered than she already was.

"Erm, forget the shrubbery for a minute, fancy helping me adjust the tree whilst making sure it doesn't snap in two?"

Laughing more in relief at the change of subject than the joke, Clark happily complied and made his way over the Lois and the tree.

"It just needs turning a little bit so we can hide the more brownish branches," Lois said, paying an exceptional amount of attention to a bright red bauble in her hands.

Clark went behind the tree and noticed that several branches were caught on the side of the couch. Instead of recklessly pulling at it – which would no doubt result in the tree and Lois rocketing across the room – Clark opted for the slow and steady option.

"It's stuck. Wait a second."

He shuffled in his position to try and twist the tree slightly to the right but before he knew it, his foot had caught on the wire from the Christmas lights and he was tumbling to the floor, taking the tree and Lois with him. His instincts kicked in and he reached out to catch Lois before she hit the ground, when suddenly Clark realised that neither one of them was making contact with the floor. He could see Lois' eyes grow wider and wider as though they were about to burst from their sockets and knew that there was no getting out of this, but for the first time he did not feel panic or regret. For the first time, he wanted this to happen. It took an uncommonly long time for Lois to break the silence.

"Wow. I knew you were good, Smallville, but you're defying gravity now?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Holy. Crap. Wow, I've never been this close to him before. Priorities, Lois! Clark Kent is FLOATING...with you...in mid-air and you're worrying about personal space? Unless he's got an invisible parachute, he is definitely a meteor freak. How on __**earth **__did I not realise this before? Not that it matters; the guy could tell me he's from Mars and I'd still be head over heels in love with him._

After a long pause, Lois managed to choke out, "Wow. I knew you were good, Smallville, but you're defying gravity now?"

Alarmingly, Clark laughed at this and gripping her shoulders, he floated to a position where they were both vertical again and set Lois gently down on the floor.

"I – erm – guess I have some explaining to do, eh?" he said nervously, his throat running very dry.

"If you're going to tell me how you pulled off that little magic trick, Copperfield, I'm all ears."

"Maybe I should _show _you first?" chanced Clark, and Lois gulped.

Before she had the chance to open her mouth to agree, there was a sharp whoosh of air and Clark was nowhere to be seen. Less than five seconds later, however, there was a sharp knocking from the front door. Shakily, Lois went over to open the door and found Clark standing there with a bunch of flowers in his hand, slightly windswept but Santa hat still in tow.

"These are from the flower shop in Metropolis," Clark said, handing her the flowers and then quickly stepping inside, his face resembling that of an overly excited puppy dog.

Lois stood transfixed in the doorway for several seconds before getting her breath back. _Breathe, Lois._

"I hope you paid for these. It wouldn't be good for the Red-Blue Blur's publicity if it got out that he steals flowers for a game of show and tell."

_She never ceases to amaze me. _"You already worked it out?"

"You practically lived in those colours for years, Smallville; I was beginning to wonder if you owned anything else in your wardrobe. Besides, now that I know you're a meteor freak, I can't really think of anyone else it could be," said Lois, more to herself than to Clark.

"Err yeah, about that. I'm not exactly a meteor freak, Lois," Clark said hesitantly.

Lois chuckled nervously, "Sorry Smallville, you can't super-speed to Metropolis and be back in five seconds flat and not expect your cover to be blown."

"Okay, maybe you should sit down for this."

Lois arched her eyebrows at him but sat down on the couch, adding the flowers to the array of tinsel and baubles on the seat next to her. Clark did not join Lois, however, and instead took to pacing the room before he suddenly stopped to look at her.

"I'm not like the rest of them -"

"Yeah, I know. You're much better."

"No, I mean I'm not human, Lois-"

"Aww don't be like that, Smallville -"

_Sometimes she really needs to just shut up and listen_, Clark sighed and practically yelled, "Lois, listen! I'm not from this planet!"

She fell silent. _Oh Jesus. He __**is **__from Mars._

Clark took a deep breath to steady himself and continued, "I'm from a planet called Krypton that was destroyed just after I was born. My real name is Kal-El and my birth parents were Jor-El and Lara. The Kents found me on the day of the meteor shower and adopted me. I can travel faster than the speed of sound, shoot fire from my eyes, jump from buildings in a single bound, see through solid objects, hear things from ten miles away, blow hurricane force winds and I'm invulnerable to anything except green meteor rock."

Lois stared at Clark, her mouth slightly agape and he looked nervously at her. _It's always a worry when she's speechless._ Eventually, Lois took a deep breath and began absent-mindedly fiddling with a piece of tinsel.

"Wow. Wow. That's a lot of info for a girl to get in one go. So you're like an..."

"Alien?" he finished for her. "Yeah."

Lois gulped slightly and in a much braver voice than she was feeling, said, "So...when do I get a ride in your spaceship?"

"Only you," he said, chuckling.

"What?" Lois said indignantly, trying to stop the smile spreading across her face.

"I've just told you I'm an alien and you're acting shockingly cavalier...well for you, anyway."

"I guess you're not the only extraordinary one," she said with a wink.

"There's no denying that," said Clark dazedly.

"But don't worry; the military style interrogation is coming. I just thought it might be best to wait till _after _Christmas."

"I think I can deal with that," Clark said with a grin. "And you're definitely okay with this?" he asked disbelievingly, sitting down next to Lois on the couch.

"You'll always just be Clark Kent to me," she said; and although it was clear she was nervous, Clark knew from the glint in her eye that she was wholeheartedly telling the truth.

_That settles it. I am completely and utterly in love with this woman. _

"I – thank you. You're the first person I've willingly told, you know. I'm so glad that I did," Clark said earnestly, smiling at her.

_The guy just told me he's an alien and I still get butterflies every time he smiles at me. Bloody hell, I have got it bad._

"I am too, Smallville," Lois said, returning the smile. "Although I guess I ought to stop calling you that now I know that's most certainly _not _your hometown -"

"No, don't. I've – err – I've always liked you calling me that," said Clark, feeling his face burn yet again but continuing to stare deeply into her captivating hazel eyes. Lois' breath caught at the intensity of the gaze and she felt her heartbeat increase as Clark began to lean ever-so-slightly towards her...

"Snow!"

_Damn it, why did you have to get jumpy? _Lois thought as she sprung up from the couch and ran over to the window. Clark let out a barely inaudible sigh before he turned his head to see Lois' nose pressed up eagerly against the window pane, watching the delicate white flakes float in the still night air. Grinning widely, he went to join her.

"The last time I had a white Christmas, it was the last Christmas I spent with – with my mom."

Clark noticed Lois' hand lying on the windowsill and before he knew what he was doing, he had gently grasped it in his own. Lois turned away from the window to look up at him, her eyes sparkling.

"And this time, you get to spend it with an alien," quipped Clark, a warm smile spreading across his face as Lois laughed gently.

"Merry Christmas, Clark."

"Merry Christmas, Lois," he said throatily, overwhelmingly aware of how close Lois' face was to his own.

_If you don't kiss her now you are going to regret it for the rest of your life. _

_If you don't kiss him now you will never let yourself forget it._

His heart throbbing dangerously in his chest, Clark tentatively lessened the gap between them to mere millimetres, feeling Lois' sweet breath cool his face as she showed absolutely no sign of protest; on the contrary, she closed her eyes and a warm smile came across her face in anticipation. _But it's stupid, Lois. It's rash, it's – _

But whatever else it was, Lois never found out. The moment Clark's lips lightly brushed against hers, her mind went blank and the only thing she was aware of was him and how fast he made her heart race. Lois' lips responded to Clark's with such a rapturous eagerness, he could barely hide his disbelief that she wanted this as much as he did. A fire surged through his veins, filling him with impenetrable elation as he lifted her up effortlessly from the ground. Lois Lane had had her fair share of kisses, but _no one _had ever kissed her like this; with such a perfect combination of a passion and tenderness. They eventually broke apart, leading a breathless Lois to lean her forehead onto Clark's.

"Thank you," Clark breathed, sending a shiver down her spine.

_Only Clark Kent would thank a girl after kissing her._ Lois wracked her mind for a witty comment, for something, _anything_ to say, but the only word on her lips was "Wow."

Clark let out a hoarse chuckle and delicately brushed a strand of stray hair out of her eyes; before his hand moved down to lightly stroke her face. "You're beautiful."

She didn't think it was possible at this moment, but Lois' heart started to race even faster and caught completely off guard, she whispered the only words on her mind, "I love you."

_No, no, no please tell me I did not say that aloud. Maybe he didn't hear. Lois, he's got super-hearing, of __**course **__he heard you. _Looking up at the man in her arms, Lois noticed that Clark had gone stock-still, his eyebrows rising so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hair. Lois' stomach, which had previously been alive with butterflies, had quite suddenly turned to lead and was beginning to sink horribly downwards. _I have to get out of here. _

"I – I'm sorry." Lois said in a voice most unlike her own, the panic rising in her throat. Then, fumbling to untangle herself from his embrace, she had run out of the house at a speed second only to Clark's; the door slamming behind her with an ominous finality.


	4. Chapter 4

Standing rooted to the spot by the window, it took several seconds for Clark to comprehend what had just happened._ I kissed her. She kissed me back. But not only that, she said she loved me; **Lois Lane** said she loved me. _The adrenaline that had coursed through him during Lois' kiss was quickly beginning to ebb away and all that was left in its place was a strong feeling of dread. _But why did she leave? Because when she told you she loved you, you stared at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. Because she's Lois and you got too close. Why are you even still standing here? Go after her, you idiot!_

Clark shook his head and sped out of the door without a second thought. The snow was now falling in earnest and Clark had to adjust his eyesight to be able to see anything further than a foot away from him. Lois' car was still parked outside the house and she was sitting in the driver's seat, hands rested on the steering wheel and blinking only when the wiper blades crossed the windscreen. _She's upset_, Clark thought with a pang. Slowly, he approached the car, knelt down and knocked lightly on the window.

Lois jumped out of her reverie and turned very slowly to look at Clark, her eyes shining with panic and a single tear falling down her cheek. _He's just seeing if you're okay because he's Smallville. Not because he loves you back._ But as Lois stared deeply into the bright, puppy-dog eyes on the other side of the window, she saw something sparkling in them that she had never seen before. Something that inexplicably gave her hope. So when Clark mouthed the words "Please open the window", Lois took a deep breath and pushed the button. As the window descended slowly, Clark's face came into sharper focus and he gave a small smile.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Neither of them said anything for a long time; the silence penetrated only by the harsh, winter air swirling around them. _Say something, Lois._

"Are you cold?"

Clark smiled ruefully. "No, I don't feel the cold."

"Right. Of course."

"Listen, Lois. I know how overwhelming this must be to have all happened in one night so you don't have to talk; you don't have to talk at all. I just need you to know something."

Lois looked at the earnestness in Clark's perfectly sculpted, boyish face and gulped. She opened her mouth to reply but contented herself with a quick nod. At this, Clark adjusted his position in the snow slightly and let out a deep sigh.

"I have to tell you, Lois. T- tell you how I feel. This Christmas, I promised myself that I wouldn't have any regrets because I know how much they can eat away at you. And to blow my chance - my chance with you – well I would regret that more than anything. I can't tell you the moment where everything changed; all I know is that whenever I'm with you, I feel completely invincible and completely vulnerable at exactly the same time. No one has ever got to me like you have, Lois. You're incorrigible, you're reckless and you're independent to the nth degree but above all those things, you are perfect. Because it's all those imperfections that make you perfect to me. Because you are _so_ human. And I love you, Lois Lane. You are extraordinary."

Lois could feel the tears beginning to stain her face but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the man right in front of her, pouring out his entire heart. No one had given Lois that before; their undivided honesty. And that's when she realised what the spark in his eyes was. Love.

"You don't need to say anything now. And if you need to be alone, I totally understand that. Just know I will never, ever let you down."

Clark leant in and kissed Lois' forehead and before she could reciprocate, he had turned away and started to walk back to the house. The sight of Clark walking away made Lois find her voice again.

"No Clark! Wait!" she yelled and Clark turned to look at her.

Fumbling for the door handle, Lois jumped out of the car and ran headlong towards him. She leapt up to Clark's height and pulled his face down to hers. Their lips collided hungrily and Lois tangled her fingers in Clark's hair, knocking the Santa hat aside. He's mine; he's finally mine. Clark opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and their tongues met with unguarded passion, breaking apart only when oxygen was absolutely essential.

"I love you, Clark," Lois said breathlessly, and this time she had no qualms about him hearing her. "I know I'm not usually one for sentimentality, but thank you for making this Christmas Eve so much better than the rest."

Clark beamed at her and said gently, "Well, all I want for Christmas is you."

At this, Lois' heart melted entirely and she jumped up on her tiptoes to place a tender kiss on his lips. "Would you like me gift-wrapped?"

Clark chuckled and Lois shivered as his escaped breath cooled her already frozen face. "You're perfect how you are," he said, tenderly cupping Lois' chin.

_All the time I thought he was just a bumbling farmboy, I was actually missing out on this? _"You are a beautiful person, you know that?" she whispered.

Clark stared at her, his heartbeat wildly erratic. _Why does it seem like I'm the only one to ever see this side of her?_ "I – er – no, that's...erm-"

"Seriously, Smallville. I fell for an alien in a Santa hat for a reason." Lois said gently. "Thank you for being you."

"Thank you for accepting me for me," Clark whispered and he lent down and ever so slightly pressed his lips onto Lois'; smiling into the kiss as their lips moulded together perfectly.

When Clark pulled away, Lois let out a blissful sigh and said, "Kiss me again."

"I have something to add to that list," Clark laughed.

"What's that, then?"

"That you're bossy."

Laughing, Lois said, "You secretly love it."

"We don't have any secrets now," said Clark as he happily brought his lips down to kiss Lois again.

_I will never get tired of this._

About a hundred feet away, a red headed figure watched the two tenderly embrace, a great warmth filling her heart.

"You win, Jonathan," she whispered with a smile. "You win."


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys! I think this story's got a couple more chapters left in it, so I guess I'll just have to extend Christmas for a little bit!**

"Lois, I think we should go inside now."

Lois and Clark had been standing outside in the snow for over five minutes, locked in a peaceful embrace; with both of their clothes coated in a heavy dusting of snowflakes.

"If you say it's because you're cold, I won't believe you."

"I was more worried about you."

"I'm being taken care of, Smallville. I have my very own personal radiator."

"Well your radiator still doesn't want to risk you getting pneumonia," Clark said, causing Lois to roll her eyes at him. "C'mon, let's go and salvage the decorations."

"Alright, let me just get something first," said Lois and she rushed over to the boot of her car and pulled out a large plastic bag. "Wouldn't be Christmas without presents, would it?"

Clark smiled at her and made a move to take the bag from her, but she swatted his hand away. "I know we must all seem like pitifully weak earthlings to you, spaceboy, but I can still carry a plastic bag."

Lois started walking towards the house but Clark had other ideas. "Well if you won't let me carry that," he said nonchalantly, "I guess...I'll just have to carry you instead."

Lois turned to look at Clark but before she could give him another eye roll, he had scooped her up into his arms – causing her to emit a slight squeak of surprise – and sped into the house.

Meanwhile, Martha Kent was still standing by her car a good distance away from the house, her mind abuzz with activity. _And he's told her his secret, too. That boy really does keep me in the dark sometimes._ Laughing to herself that the two of them hadn't remotely noticed her presence, she resolved to leave them alone and do a last minute shop for Christmas supplies. _As much as he loves me, I don't think Clark would appreciate his mother spoiling his festive fun. I'll come back later._ She got back into her car, put the key in the ignition and drove away from the farm, a wide smile on her face.

*

"Show off," said Lois breathlessly, when they were back in the house less than a second later.

"But baby it's cold outside?" Clark offered with a smile and Lois couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh look at Mr Christmas Jukebox over here. What's next, 'You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch'?" quipped Lois, heavily aware that she was still in Clark's arms and not in any way inclined to leave.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

The two stared at each other for what felt like an hour, a strong glint of longing in their eyes.

"I – er – guess you'll want your feet on solid ground again," Clark said eventually and gently put Lois down.

_You guess wrong Mr Kent_, Lois thought as she brushed the snowflakes from her coat and went into the living room to assess the damage. The tree was lying flat on the carpet, having lost some of the few branches it had left in the first place and altogether looking even more pitiful. Several smashed baubles littered the floor and the bulbs from the lights had shattered, leaving glass scattered everywhere.

"Erm Smallville...we may require your skills for a speedy clean-up here."

"Does that mean I'm permitted to show off?" he said with a smirk

"By all means," Lois smiled at him, chewing lightly on her bottom lip.

There was a loud whoosh and a flurry of activity as Clark tidied the mess in super-speed; giving Lois a slight headache as her eyes attempted to follow his every move. Clark soon came to a standstill by the now upright tree and grinned at Lois' startled expression.

"So, tell me Smallville; why did you say you needed help with the decorations...when you can put them up in a heartbeat?"

_Oops._ Clark gave her a shy smile and said quickly, "I wanted to spend Christmas with you."

_Bury me, I am officially dead._ "_Very_ good answer," she said, positively glowing. "Now let's see if these presents will fit underneath the world's smallest tree."

Lois emptied out the bag onto the floor and then appeared to realise something. "By the way, you're not allowed to use your stalker vision to find out what your presents are before tomorrow."

"I won't, you have my word. I like surprises," said Clark grinning. "So, what's your usual Christmas Eve routine?"

"Well seeing as there's not an awful lot to do at an army barracks, Lucy and I used to stick our favourite Christmas film on."

"Which was?"

"It's A Wonderful Life."

Clark smiled warmly at her, "That's my favourite, too. Fancy honouring tradition?"

Lois nodded enthusiastically and with that, Clark zoomed to the DVD cabinet and returned with the film in his hand before Lois had a chance to blink.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that," said Lois, wide eyed.

"Well you always keep me on my toes. The least I could do is return the favour," said Clark as he went over to the TV.

Lois settled herself onto the couch and waited for the television to spark into life. The opening credits began to roll and Clark went over to sit next to Lois. Intoxicated by her closeness, he was spending more time watching her than the screen and consequently, was finding it incredibly difficult to pay attention to what was going on. Just as he was about to grasp her hand, which was lying invitingly next to her, Lois suddenly adjusted her position so that her head was leaning on his chest. Clark let out a pleased sigh and put his arm around her, pulling Lois closer to him.

_Tradition did not entail watching it snuggled up to six and half feet of handsome. But I guess you just have to make sacrifices sometimes._

"This feels right, doesn't it?" said Lois softly. "Like alarmingly so. Shouldn't the first day as a couple be terribly awkward?"

"Maybe it's because we were already so comfortable with each other before."

"Mmm."

"Warning: the jukebox has a new lease of life," Clark whispered in Lois' ear. "Merry Christmas Darling."

Lois smiled into Clark's chest and whispered back "I just have one wish this Christmas Eve; I wish I was with you."

"It's not a wish anymore," Clark murmured and kissed Lois' hair. "You're probably bored of hearing it but, I love you Lois Lane."

"One thing's for certain, Smallville: I will never get bored of hearing that. And because I don't want to anger a big, scary alien who could kill me with a thought, I love you too."

Clark chuckled into her hair and took her hand in his own. _You always scoff when they show couples acting like this in movies but when it's happening to you, you melt quicker than ice cream in Egypt. You are walking, talking contradiction Lois Lane. But who cares..._

That was the last coherent thought that went through Lois' mind before the exhaustion of the evening got the better of her, and she snuggled up closer to Clark's chest and fell effortlessly asleep. The sound of Lois' light snoring filled Clark's ears and he closed his own eyes. _I am definitely going to tease her about the snoring in the morning._ He listened to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat intertwined with his own, and soon found that he was drifting off himself.

Before the clock had struck midnight, Martha Kent re-entered the house she had left behind and breathed in the familiar scent. Home. She placed her bags of shopping onto the kitchen table and went into the living room, when she stopped in her tracks at the sight in front of her. Clark and Lois were huddled together asleep on the couch, hands entwined and breathing in unison. _This is what I've always wanted for him. Someone to show him how easy love can be. And as luck would have it, I've always wanted the same for her too._ With a loving smile, Martha took the blanket off the armchair and draped it over the sleeping pair of them; and then headed upstairs to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Penultimate chapter! Hope people are still feeling slightly Christmassy xD**

_Well that was officially the most out of hand your imagination has ever got, Lois. Clark Kent was an __**alien **__and loved you back? What on earth were you drinking?_ Lois sighed and pulled her cover fully up to her neck. _Wow, my bed's like a turbo heater this morning. _Ordinarily, she would have gone to investigate but she didn't want to return to the harsh sting of reality just yet. _It was __**such **__a good dream_. Lois attempted to adjust her pillow slightly but when she reached out, she found that it wasn't a pillow at all. It was a person.

Lois' eyes flew open and realised that she was lying on Clark's chest; his arms closed protectively over her as he slept soundly. _Oh my God, I __**wasn't **__dreaming!_ Her heart started to pound at how perfectly she seemed to fit in his arms; this was something completely new, the impenetrable feeling of safety. And for the first time, the novelty didn't cause her to panic. Lois brushed her fingertips through Clark's dark hair and was started when his eyelids suddenly fluttered open to reveal the deep pools of blue-green she consistently got lost within.

"Hello there."

Lois stared at Clark with wide eyes and suddenly threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into an enthusiastic kiss.

"I could definitely get used to your wake-up calls," said Clark, with a dazed smile on his face.

"Clark?" Lois asked hesitantly.

"You were expecting someone else?" Clark chuckled and lightly nipped at her lips.

"I – no. I just thought that maybe I'd had a bit too much eggnog and ended up away with the fairies. But you're real," she reached out and lightly touched his nose, causing a light blush to stain his cheeks. "You're definitely real."

"They certainly don't call you an investigative reporter for nothing."

"And you've kept your awe-inspiring sense of humour!" Lois said wryly and Clark grinned. "So, you're still an -" she descended into a whisper, "_alien_?"

"Last time I checked, yeah."

"And you – you still feel _that _way about..."

Clark couldn't help the idiotic grin that spread across his face at this. "I love you, yes. And even more so now you're bumbling."

"I am not bumbling!" Lois exclaimed, affronted. "That is your job."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that the famous Lois Lane gets nervous around a nerdy farm boy."

Lois went to playfully hit his shoulder when Clark suddenly leaned in just behind her ear and whispered, "You make me nervous too." _He is going to be the death of me, I swear, _Lois shivered.

"I think I might have a plan to get rid of these nerves," she murmured, moving her hands to cradle his face.

"Oh really?" Clark smiled and Lois nodded, leaning in to gently kiss him. 

"Merry Christmas, lovebirds."

Clark and Lois froze simultaneously at the sound of the _very _familiar voice, and their lips separated with a sound reminiscent to that of a plunger.

_Please, please, please tell me that is not Mom._

_Please, please, please tell me that is just a very friendly burglar and not Mrs K._

But sure enough, Martha Kent was the figure who entered the living room, with two cups of steaming coffee in either hand. The two of them shared an equally mortified glance at each other as Martha put the coffee on the table, and Lois sprung up from the couch as if she had been electrocuted.

"Mrs K!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, her face reddening to match the shade of Martha's hair.

"Mom, this is a surprise!" Clark quickly jumped up and pulled his mom into a tight hug, Lois following suit. "I thought you were stuck in Washington!"

"Well I was sitting at my desk on Christmas Eve and I couldn't understand why I wasn't at home instead, spending it with you," Martha said, before adding pointedly, "Although it doesn't look like you've been lonely."

If Clark and Lois had been blushing before, it was nothing to what they were doing now.

"I – Mrs K, I can explain!" Lois said hurriedly.

"You don't need to explain anything!" Martha asked kindly. "Do you know how long I've waited for you two to realise what everyone else has known for years?"

Lois fell silent and looked over to Clark, who was smiling at her as the colour in her cheeks slowly faded, "I guess we were kind of the last to know."

"Well the important thing is that you know now! And it appears that's not the only secret that's come out," Martha said, with a wink.

Clark sputtered and the blush returned to Lois' cheeks in full force. "You know that too?" he cried. _Sometimes I wonder if she's the one with superpowers. _

"Just call it motherly intuition," she said, smiling.

"And you're okay with this?" Lois asked nervously.

"Lois, I couldn't be more okay with this. But I am hardly important in this; the only thing that matters is that you two are happy and I can already see that's well and truly taken care of." Clark and Lois shared a smile and he held out his hand for Lois to hold it tightly. "Relax, you two; it's Christmas!"

"Which is synonymous for presents!" Lois called excitedly and ran over to the poor excuse for a Christmas tree.

"As much as I'm glad you're back – and believe me, I am – couldn't you have at least waited until we weren't...you know," Clark whispered quietly, a slight whine in his voice.

Martha laughed, "Weren't kissing? Well I didn't exactly have a large window of opportunity there, did I?"

"But you're happy?"

"Clark, I'm ecstatic. Honestly."

He beamed at his mother and pulled her into another close hug, "I've missed you, Mom."

"C'mon Smallville, the presents are looking decidedly one-sided right now."

But the words had barely left her mouth before Clark had appeared holding four, fully-wrapped parcels of varying sizes.

"I was right – still not used to that yet," said Lois and Martha laughed.

"I've known him almost twenty years and I'm still not used to it!"

Clark placed the presents underneath the tree and went to join Lois in sitting beside it.

"You don't have to wait for my permission to open your presents. Gosh, it's like you're teenagers all over again!" Martha sighed, highly amused.

"Oh, I don't know. Being caught kissing by your boyfriend's," her heart gave an involuntary flutter at the mention of the word, "mom, stings of teenage angst."

"It's a good thing we knew each other so well beforehand then," and Martha and Lois shared a wide smile. "Go on- open!"

Clark and Lois both unwrapped their smallest present first: Clark had bought her a pack of pens, "you always steal mine!" and Lois had got him a pair of Elmer Fudd boxer shorts, "to go with your night-light!" The next round of presents was equally as playful. When Lois opened up 'The Essential Spelling Guide for Children', Clark earned a clip round the ear, laughing as his next present was revealed to be 'A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie.'

His third present then turned out to be a Christmas sweater with a sewn-on Rudolph.

"I know you're a sharp dressed man now – all thanks to me, I might point out – but I thought your nostalgic side might like a blast from your past fashion sense."

A few years ago, Clark would have given her a withering look and thrown the sweater into the pile of never-to-be-used presents. But this time, he couldn't help the laugh he let out and quite contentedly pulled the sweater over his t-shirt.

"How do I look?" he asked, with a lopsided smile.

"Like a complete dork," she said, laughing heartily.

"Well at least my one is serious," Clark said as he handed Lois the square-shaped package.

She tentatively tore the wrapping paper and gaped at its contents. Lying there was the elusive Whitesnake vinyl Lois had been after since the moment she understood what a vinyl was.

"Oh my god, Clark! Where did you get this? I've been searching for this for years!"

"Well when you don't require airplane tickets, you can broaden the search somewhat," Clark said with a coy grin. "Seeing as they're English, I thought that would the logical place to look."

"You are amazing, Smallville. Officially my favourite alien," she said, beaming.

Clark laughed and said, "Well that's very good to know."

Lois' expression softened as she looked at his bashful face and his eyes spoke volumes. _Is this the love I've been searching for?_ She felt herself leaning in towards him but suddenly became highly aware of Martha's presence. _Apparently Clark makes my self-control go to pot. _Shaking herself slightly, Lois returned to the tree.

"And now for the grand unveiling of my only serious present," said Lois, in a mock dramatic voice, handing Clark the cylindrical parcel.

Inside was a small, golden telescope. Clark stared at it, tracing his fingers across the metal as Lois said softly, "I didn't know it at the time, but maybe you could show me where Krypton was?"

Clark looked up from the telescope and his eyes shot to Lois' like electricity.

"I – erm – think the potatoes need peeling," said Martha discerningly, and she hurried into the kitchen.

The moment Martha had left the living room, Clark turned to Lois and kissed her so earnestly that she let out a squeak of surprise. _Even when she didn't fully know who I was, she still knew me better than anyone. _

"What was that for?" she asked, gasping slightly as they broke apart. "Not that I'm complaining, FYI."

"For knowing me better than anyone."

"I can safely say it's mutual," Lois said gently, her eyes inadvertently smouldering at him.

"Final present," Clark whispered, kissing her on the cheek and handing her the final, largest package. "Merry Christmas."

Lois unwrapped the parcel and found that she was holding a fairly sizeable, smooth oak frame. "This is lovely, Smallville, but I think you forgot the photograph," she said, realising that she was missing something.

"It's for the future," he said gently. "It's for your Pulitzer."

If she hadn't fallen for him before today, this would have done it. Lois was starting to think that she was dreaming again because for her luck in love to be totally turned on its head in less than twenty four hours, it surely required some kind of magician. Or maybe it just took a superhero.

"You better hope I actually get one now, else you've just set me up for a giant fall with an empty photo frame."

Clark chuckled, "You're Lois Lane. You'll make it happen."


End file.
